Friday Smorgasbord: Ma kai edition

Happy Friday and welcome to another edition of our Friday Smorgasboard. We decided to share an all video version. This week we tried to balance the good with the bad and have a special treat at the end — so make sure you read through. Mahalo!

Plastic is Infecting Reefs

Coral reefs are under threat from billions of pieces of plastic. Reefs that are clogged with plastic are 20-times more likely to be diseased than plastic-free corals, according to new research published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Friday.

Super Rare Fish Population Doubles

Now for some good news! The Red Handfish is believed to be the world’s rarest fish. How rare? Only 20 to 40 of the crawling fish (named the handfish since the fins its scoots along on look like hands) were thought to exist until divers discovered a second population of the endangered fish off the coast of Tasmania, Australia.

Blind as a Bat

Chinese and French scientists found a rare, blind fish during a recent expedition. Facing pollution and overfishing, this little fish found refuge in China’s pristine network of caves.

Burned Bears Heal with Tilapia Bandages

Two bears with badly burned paws from the devastating fires in Southern California, were treated using tilapia skin as bandages. The team of vets at UC Davis turned to this technique used in Brazil to, “…provide protection, it would provide pain relief as well as improvement in healing,” said Dr. Jamie Peyton with the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The bears healed well and were returned to the wild in just a few weeks.

Check out this live webcam feed from the the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary off the island of Maui. The Sanctuary, which spans all the way to the mysterious island of Molokai and Lanai in the distance, is the birthing and mating grounds of the North Pacific Humpback Whale population. During this time of year, the Maui Sands Condo, put up the camera from 7:30AM & 5:30PM HST to scan the horizon for Humpback Whales.